Business Essentials Package

What is Business Essentials?

Our most popular package is FSB Business Essentials which includes a whole range of benefits and products designed to make your business fly

What's included?

A suite of legal benefits including a dedicated helpline, bundled insurance products and a range of online information to keep your business safe. Plus a whole range of negotiated benefits to help save you money and win business.

Chris Green's Story

'Within a few weeks of joining we'd taken advantage of FSB’s Online Legal Documents. We started a graduate programme and access to these documents gave us an understanding of the legal side, and has helped us to create a number of processes and procedures.'

Marc Wileman's Story

'When we first took on a member of staff, we used the online legal document template library. FSB does more important stuff than you think it does, there are lots of member benefits, probably more than we actually use.'

How much does FSB membership cost?

We offer three packages to suit your business needs. Joining FSB Connect is free, our Business Essentials package starts at £172.50 in the first year and our specialist Business Creation package has a fixed price of £129.

Business Rates

The Issue

Business rates are a tax levied on the occupation of property and ownership of empty buildings. All non-domestic properties need to pay business rates, similar to individuals paying council tax on private residences. The revenue raised is used as part of the funding for local services.

However, this system is out-dated, unfair and not related to the ability to pay, or changing economic circumstances. As a result, they are consistently the third highest cost for small businesses after staff and rent.

Action FSB have taken

We’ve repeatedly called for the business rates system to be fundamentally reformed.

We’ve gathered evidence from members about the implications of the complicated and regressive system.

We’ve been instrumental in the introduction and improvement of small business rate relief schemes across the UK.

Our Goal

We believe UK small businesses should not be burdened by an expensive, inflexible and unfair tax. Our campaigning has seen the Chancellor announce a review of the current, outdated system. We want small firms to benefit from a fairer, more flexible system that doesn’t discourage growth and investment.

Achievements in...

UK/Westminster

After years of campaigning on behalf of our members, the small business rate relief was permanently doubled at the April budget of 2016. This means any business with a rateable value of £12,000 or less now pays no business rates at all.

After intensive lobbying from FSB, the government announced an extra £435 million in relief for businesses suffering from rises as a result of the 2017 revaluation.

At the 2016 Autumn Statement the government doubled rural rates relief to 100% for qualifying small businesses.

Wales

Scotland

In Scotland the FSB has secured the most generous small business package (until 2016), benefiting almost 4,000 businesses.

In 2013 we successfully argued for the Small Business Bonus Scheme to remain in place. It’s the most generous business rates relief package in the UK, with small businesses saving an average of £1,700 a year.

In 2014 we won an extension to the business rate relief package, which will benefit 4,000 premises and place a cap on poundage rates. As a result, more than half of FSB members pay no rates at all.

In 2015 we continued lobbying for the retention of the Small Business Bonus and, as a consequence, the First Minister confirmed that it will be in place until 2020.